


Practice Makes Perfect

by Sampika



Series: Fire and Ash [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Phoenix, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Fire, Gen, Magic, Magic training, Pre-Iron Man 1, Tony Stark Has Magic, the OCs are just there for plot really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 04:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12473476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sampika/pseuds/Sampika
Summary: Tony is tutored in the art of being a phoenix.





	Practice Makes Perfect

Tony peered over the edge of the balcony, feeling his heart flutter as he saw just how far down of a drop it was to the grassy red hills below. It wasn’t that he was afraid of heights, really. Afraid of falling, however… The wings on his back did little to ease his mind.

“Are you ready to fly?” Raela’k asked from her place beside him, a slight melodic accent in her voice that he had quickly come to realize all of the phoenixes shared. It was unlike any accent from earth, made up of a soft and rolling lilt, but punctuated with sharp edges on harsh letters.

Raela’k stood closer to the edge than Tony could bring himself to go, with her three clawed toes hanging over the balcony and wiggling with anticipation.

“No,” Tony deadpanned.

“Don't worry, Anthony. It's easy, you'll master it in no time,” she told him, voice holding a suspiciously sweet tone.

And then there was a hand pushing on his back, and suddenly he was falling.

He yelped as the wind tore at his hair. An awful, sinking feeling of his heart falling down to his toes raced through his body and sent him tingling. He was plummeting, down, down… The red ground came into view every once in awhile as he flipped around wildly in the air. He tried not to think about the fact that his blood would blend in perfectly with the grass.

“Open your wings!” Raela’k’s voice cut through the wind, and he thought he might have caught a glimpse of her bright orange and yellow wings. Tony squeezed his eyes closed and let his wings spread wide, and was immediately jolted hard by the force of air under his wings. It ripped his head back jerkily enough that it would be a wonder if he didn't get whiplash.

But then he was practically floating, gliding. Smooth breezes drifted through and ruffled his feathers. A fan of black and red tail feathers spread out behind him like a banner in the sky, catching the wind and letting him steer himself left and right, up and down.

Raela’k appeared at his right, slightly higher, her own wings spread wide and casting a shadow over him for a split second before she passed. “See? Easy!” she laughed.

“Did you think that was _funny?!_ You shoved me off a _cliff!_ ” Tony shouted back as she banked right. He followed after her, fuming. If this was how they taught all their young how to fly, it was no surprise they had such a small population. No instruction whatsoever, just _shove_ and off you go. Do good the first time because you won't get a second chance!

It was hard to stay mad for long, however. If Tony thought the view was great from the balcony, it didn't even come close to comparing to _this_. He soared above it all, above the palace and the rolling hills and the watchtowers and the autumn colored forests behind the city. The double suns’ light beat down on his back and provided warmth where the wind was cold.

“It was clear you weren't going to take the step on your own,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone, as if her actions should have been anticipated and obvious. Tony chose to scowl and not grace her with a reply. Raela’k eventually changed the subject. “Come with me.”

Raela’k made several strong beats of her wings, lifting herself even higher. She broke through a small cloud, wisps of cottony vapor trailing her feathers. Tony followed, the muscles in his wings aching a bit at their previous misuse.

Slowing to a leisurely glide, Tony leveled himself out alongside Raela’k. They flew in silence, the ground whizzing by underneath them until the white stone of the palace gave way to red grass, which stretched outwards like a lake. Small creatures bounded through the grass as a herd, similar to antelopes but still vastly different in that they had six legs, a whip-like tail, and four horns jutting from their heads. Tony was too far above to make out smaller details, and the antelope creatures were soon gone, left behind as he and Raela’k sped through the air towards a looming mountain range.

Grey and white boulders dotted the grass as they drew closer, until soon the ground rose up to meet them halfway. “This is the Virthal Range,” Raela’k told him, breaking the silence. “They are the tallest mountains on our planet.”

Tony hummed in acknowledgement, though he had no idea whether or not she could hear it over the wind. Instead of worrying about it, he turned his head to gaze up at the rocky peaks ahead of him. He had gone skiing in the Alps one time with Rhodey, and he had to admit, the Virthal mountains _dwarfed_ the Alps. Hell, if he had to hazard a guess, he’d say they made the Himalayan mountains look like a hill.

As they approached, Raela’k guided them to an updraft and let it carry them higher, until the red grass turned to rock, and then to snow. At the very top of one of the peaks, a massive hole opened up in the mountain, revealing nothing but an abyss-like darkness. A shudder ran down Tony’s spine, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

A sense of _wrongness_ seemed to bleed from that cave. It made Tony’s heart flutter with a pang of familiar fear. “Is this..?” he started.

“The gateway to the dal’thek,” Raela’k murmured in confirmation, then led them to a nearby ledge jutting out of the rock that they could land on. Tony let her land first, just to see how it was done, then followed suit. He stumbled a bit as his feet touched the ground, but he had a feeling it wasn't just because it was his first time landing.

“Why are we here?” Tony asked the elder phoenix. He wanted to be anywhere _but_ there.

“Because,” she started, “The demons are as much a part of you as the phoenix blood. You must learn about them.”

Snow crunched under Tony’s clawed foot as he took a step towards the ledge and peered into the gateway. The dal’thek seemed to watch him back; a cold, piercing gaze akin to daggers of ice. The feathers on Tony’s neck and shoulders raised.

“Being exposed to the darkness of the dal’thek, even if indirectly, will show you what to look for in yourself that sets the virus off,” Raela’k told him, “Once you know the catalyst, you can learn to snuff out its influence.”

“I know what _causes_ it. Rage causes it,” Tony explained. He flicked a small stone from the ledge with a clawed toe, watching as it vanished into the void below them.

“Does the rage cause it, or does it cause the rage?”

Tony opened his mouth to retort that, no, the rage caused it, he was certain, but no sound came out. Because the rage never did come first. All those years ago, the night of the fire at the school, it had been fear he’d felt first as he tumbled down the stairs. And again, as his father started yelling and sloshing alcohol around as a result of his wild, drunken gestures, he’d been scared. It was _fear_ , not rage, that set the beast in him loose.

“Its… fear,” he whispered aloud, half to himself. Raela’k heard him anyway.

“Yes,” she responded, staring into the gateway. “Fear is the most volatile emotion. It makes you do strange things, and is the hardest to control. The demons know this.”

Tony didn’t answer. He could feel the familiar cold prickle of fear coursing through his veins as he stared into the dal’thek, and wondered just what he could do to _control_ that. When fear takes over, it does _not_ let go easy - he had learned that the hard way already. The first step, he decided, would be to make a list of all the things he feared. Easy enough, in theory. The dal’thek, for starters, and the demons. Pain. He feared the loss of control brought on by fear itself, and hoped in the back of his mind that _that_ particular vicious circle wouldn’t come back to haunt him someday.

“If you’d like,” Raela’k’s voice pulled Tony from his thoughts, “You can go closer. The closer to the gateway you get will allow me to see just how far the demon’s influence lies in your heart.”

“No,” Tony shook his head, taking a step back and clenching his hands into fists. He was _not_ moving an inch closer to that place. “Here is close enough… I- I can _feel_ it.” And he could. Power, dark power, surged just underneath his skin. It was unlike the fiery light of the phoenix power - this was cold and unforgiving and made his bones ache. The only thing holding it back was the thin and fragile line of calmness held in place by the fact that he would not be getting any closer to the gateway.

 

* * *

 

“You have to really _focus_ , Anthony!” Elios let out a long and exasperated sigh. “You will never get past the basics if you do not try to alter your flames.”

“I _am_ trying,” Tony growled back, scrunching his eyes at the small flames flickering over his palm. Elios had a serpent of flames wrapped around his arm - the conjuration Tony was supposed to try to replicate.

“You are not trying hard enough,” the elder phoenix berated, and Tony let the flame in his hand dissipate. He looked away, knowing that his frustration would only grow if he looked Elios in the eye. Instead, he scanned the training courtyard. It was walled in on three sides by the palace walls, but the fourth side was an open balcony with a view of the far-off Virthal Range. Carved white marble slabs marked paths, red grass growing up around the stone.

Eventually, his gaze came to rest back on Elios.

“Then tell me _how_ to do that. All you did was say ‘Here, make this!’ and whipped up a fire snake! I can’t make one if you don’t tell me how to shape the fire - I know machines, not magic!” Tony’s voice got progressively louder as he spoke, and the last part came out as a shout as he swung his arms in an agitated gesture.

“You know how, you created a dragon out of fire when you were young,” Elios pointed out, lips pressed into a thin line.

Shaking his head, Tony bit back, “I've already told you, I don't remember how I did that. And not to mention, it ended terribly - unless you've forgotten that little fact?”

Elios looked ready to fume. But the elder phoenix reigned himself in, taking a deep breath and striding away. Elios turned to the cliffside, leaning on the balcony and keeping his back to Tony, wings held stiff at his sides. A breeze drifted by, setting Elios’s robes billowing behind him reminiscent of a cape. Other members of the Elder Council watched from the sidelines, shaking their heads to themselves and occasionally wandering back into the palace. Disappointment was clear in their eyes, as if they’d expected more from him.

Raela’k was the only one who looked vaguely sympathetic.

“Ignore him,” she said, walking out to join them in the courtyard. “Elios has never been very patient when it comes to teaching.” Raela’k chuckled to herself when Elios turned a glare her way and raised his wings in a mock threat, then added, “It’s because he's terrible at explaining things.”

“Magic is an art, to teach it is something that cannot be done. In order to learn it, one must spend years channeling their energy,” Elios said, turning back to them. “You cannot learn about magic the same way you do technology.”

“I am not spending years here. I do have a life, you know.” Tony looked to Raela’k for support. “Company to run, and all that.”

“Go take a break, Elios,” Raela’k said. “I’ll take over from here.”

The elder phoenix looked positively relieved to be getting out of Tony’s company. Over the several days he’d been on the phoenix homeworld - Flamma Tri’kel, they called it - Tony had quickly come to realize that he and Elios mixed just about as well as alkali metals and water. That is to say, very explosively. It was a good thing Raela’k rescued him when he did, before the grumpy old bird got his feathers too ruffled and decided to chew Tony’s ears off with a harsh lecture, as he was so fond of doing.

“You know the power inside, yes?” Raela’k tapped a clawed finger in the center of his chest as he nodded. “You can feel it. Right here. You can feel its warmth, its light.”

Nodding again, Tony rubbed at the spot she tapped. Ever since he’d been born, he could feel it there. It was a comforting warmth that wrapped around his heart like a shield. It felt… cozy, like being swaddled in blankets in front of the fireplace on a winter day, with a hot mug in one hand and a book in the other.

Having grown up with it, he thought it was something every human felt, constantly. Something natural. And over time, he stopped even recognizing it was there. When he’d shifted, and his wings and feathers grew out for the first time, the warmth in his chest had suddenly made itself known again. Tony couldn’t _not_ feel it since that moment.

“Think of that warmth as a well, if you will, a well of energy. When you use your magic, you are only dipping a finger in, and then claiming to be touching the bottom. But in truth, there is a whole reserve of untapped energy waiting to be utilized just underneath your fingertips.”

Raela’k closed her eyes, cupping her hands together in front of her face. “Try again to conjure a serpent, but this time, do not hold back when you reach into the well. Drop a bucket in if you must, but make sure you reach _further_. Take that energy and mold it like clay.”

In demonstration, a flame leapt up from Raela’k’s cupped hands, reaching up as a long tendril until the fire shifted to form detail. A serpent slithered through the air to stare back at him, fiery eyes boring into his own.

And when Tony reached again for that warm ball of energy in his chest, a second serpent rose to meet its gaze.

 

* * *

 

Tony opened up the grand armoire in his room, met with the sight of several silky white robes hanging on hooks, waiting to be worn. They were adorned with intricate designs along the sleeves and down the chest to act as trim, made of carefully woven black and grey fabrics. The robes were colored by class - fledglings still in training were dressed in white. Guardian robes were a step up in intricacy, but the colors blended with their feathers as reds, oranges, and yellows. The Elders had the most detailed robes - royal purple and decorated in black and gold trim.

White robes always made Tony feel out of place, and not to mention they provided a stark contrast to his black feathers. It made him stick out like a sore thumb, and to make it even worse, there were no other fledglings in the palace for training. The last batch had grown enough to gain their class robes a decade ago.

But he would not be reaching for his robes today. Instead, his gaze drifted down to the corner of the wardrobe, where his pants lay folded and collecting dust. Grabbing them out, he brushed them off and laid them out on the bed.

Blood from when he'd shifted was dried into the back of the waistband and around the ankles, and several holes were rimmed with crusty, charred edges where embers had burned the fabric away. If he was going back today, he had to look like he'd never left.

After all, time works differently in this dimension, and what was several weeks for him was mere minutes on Earth.

Unhooking the clasp of his robes, he let them fall away to the floor, then wrestled his jeans back onto his legs. The claws on his feet proved to be only slightly problematic, and ended up tearing a new gash in the calf on the right pant leg.

It felt weird not to have anything over his chest, after being forced to wear the robes for so long for lack of human clothing.

Warm breezes ruffled the feathers on his arms and shoulders when he made his way outside, to the balcony he'd originally ended up on when he first phased through to this dimension. Raela’k and Elios were waiting there for him, along with a phoenix he had never seen before.

Her robes were a deep blue - nearly black, even - and glittered when she moved, the brilliance of the night sky captured in the net of woven fabric. She had to be an Oracle, Tony quickly decided. He’d never met one before today, as they liked to keep to their towers more often than not. What could an Oracle want with him?

Before he got the chance to speak, however, Elios spoke up first. “Anthony, this is Viakan’vik Xiraellion. She is here to show you how to phase back to your own dimension.”

“That’s a mouthful,” Tony commented, pressing a fist to his chest in greeting. Phoenixes never used handshakes in their culture, but rather a series of different greetings depending on how close they were to whoever they were greeting. “Can I just call you Via?”

“My name is one of the simplest of the Oracle class,” Via said, sounding confused, but not insulted. “Why would you shorten it more?”

“Humans like simple things,” was all he offered in response. She nodded, but still looked confused, as though shortening names was completely unheard of. But then again, it might _actually_ be unheard of here, he hadn't checked.

“Anyway,” Raela’k drew his attention back. “... _Via_ will use her telepathy to give you knowledge of phasing. While it would be more beneficial for you to learn on your own, the process takes hundreds to thousands of years to even comprehend. That is time that you do not have.”

“Wait a minute,” he looked accusingly at Elios, “Couldn’t you guys have done this for my powers? Instead of torturing both you _and_ me with your terrible lessons?”

Elios scowled back at him, shaking his head. “No. Using your powers is a skill that must be mastered, phasing is different. Your powers aren’t so… abstract.”

Tony humphed, but turned back to Via. “If you are ready..?” She had a hand lifted towards his head, fingers outstretched, but not yet touching his temple.

“When I go back,” Tony said, “Is there a way for me to at least appear human? Because I’m not so sure that the government will let a _bird man_ run a multimillion dollar company that supplies weapons to the army.”

“There is a way for you to shift back, yes,” Via told him, “Though you will not be able to use your powers at their fullest potential in that form. There are also some things you must know about hiding your wings.”

“Like what?” Tony asked as Via made a face.

“You cannot stay in your human form while molting. It can be very dangerous to your health,” she explained. Right. Birds molt their feathers. It never even crossed his mind that he would probably end up losing his feathers, too. “Your magic allows your wings to shrink down enough to… fit _under_ your skin.”

It did _what?_ It was Tony’s turn to make a face - that sounded horrific.

“Don’t worry! You won’t really notice they’re there,” Via quickly explained after seeing his face. “But if you are in your human form while molting, the dead feathers will continue to fall off, and they’ll get trapped in your body. The calamus could puncture your organs, among other dangers.”

“So either I shift or I die,” he ran a hand through his hair, “That’s just peachy.”

“You will learn to live with it,” Elios shrugged, entirely unapologetic. Taking that as her cue, Via brought her band back up to his temple.

“Are you ready now?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he replied, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. “Get on with it, then.”

Via’s fingers were warm when they touched his skin. For a moment, nothing happened, and Tony was half tempted to open his eyes and make a sarcastic comment on performance issues.

But then suddenly, his mind exploded.

It was like a blast of hot air running through his skull, and then through his entire body, and with it came _so much more_. Muscle memory that didn’t belong to him made his wings twitch and flutter, and sights he’d never seen and things he’d never done suddenly felt as familiar as the science he had come to learn as a child. The well of energy in his chest burst in shapes and patterns he’d never imagined it could be twisted into, so intense that it made his stomach churn. He saw the fleeting image of the limbo between his dimension and the next, but had no idea how he even _knew_ what it was. Information was so suddenly _there_ , downloaded into his brain like files transferred from one database to another.

As quickly as it happened, the warmth vanished, and the stream of knowledge was cut short. It left him breathless, cold, and feeling slightly sick. His mind was brimming with newfound secrets unlocked, making it nearly impossible to gather his thoughts.

“Woah,” he eventually gasped. Via had backed up a step, watching his reaction with an amused grin on her face. Somewhere in his brain, it registered that he was at least a little bit embarrassed at being unable to compose himself yet, but the thought didn’t stick around very long.

“Mental transference is always a bit intense the first time,” Via chuckled. “You should consider yourself lucky, most end up vomiting.”

“Can’t promise that I won’t,” he grimaced as his stomach gave a strong lurch, and then settled. When he was sure his stomach wouldn’t empty itself onto the marble, he turned to Elios. “So I guess you want to get rid of me now?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said, “But you do have to go back to your own world now. Promise me you will continue to practice with your magic. It hasn’t had nearly enough use - magic is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it will be.”

“Yes, I know, I know. I will,” Tony rolled his eyes. Like Elios hadn’t already drilled that into his head a thousand times a day. He would try to practice, but he couldn’t promise he would get very far. Obadiah would be stepping down to let Tony take over SI soon, so his plate would be full most of the time.

Elios nodded, pleased with Tony’s answer. “It will be a long time before we see each other again.”

“I should hope so, old man,” Tony smirked, and was surprised to see Elios grinning back, if only slightly. Perhaps they didn’t have so much bad blood.

Grasping for the new knowledge he could _feel_ was there, Tony closed his eyes, and let the world shift around him.

 

* * *

 

Roaring flames and thick, purple smoke met him when Tony phased back - his world was just as he’d left it. Tony coughed as the billowing smog caught in his throat, but this time he was able to react quick enough. Reason and focus took the place of panic and despair. With bright, golden eyes, he held out his hands and beckoned the fire to him. It was a larger blaze than what he’d trained with, but if he just focused…

The flames twirled over his fingers and through his feathers, seeping under his skin until they vanished entirely, and the smoke was left to be carried away on the air. Sweat gleamed on Tony’s forehead, plastering his hair to his skin, but he didn’t mind. It… it would be okay now, wouldn’t it?

Sirens cut through the fading noises of smoldering embers and creaking wood. Right. Wings, feathers, claws.

Shifting back was not going to be fun. He _knew_ it was going to hurt - Via had given him that information. It would always hurt, since the feathers and claws had to retract into his skin, and his wings had to shrink down to fit back through the torn gashes on his shoulder blades, and his feet had to shrink back down to their normal, five-toed size. The blare of emergency sirens drew closer.

“I’m going to feel this tomorrow,” he grumbled to himself, because he knew from experience of shifting once before that he _would_ , and squeezed his eyes shut as he braced himself for the pain. He let the magic break through, grinding his teeth as it started. Over his back, and his arms, and hands and feet, it coursed through his nerves like lava.

Quick as it started, the shift ended, and he was left looking very much human - covered in trickles of blood across his entire upper body and on his hands and feet, but human.

The lava had rapidly devolved to a gentle warmth that eased away most of the remaining ache, so that had to be a plus. Still, bloody footprints followed in his wake as he walked over charred floorboards towards open air. A collapsed support beam blocked the front door, but had conveniently knocked out the glass of the adjacent window.

Things would be okay, eventually, Tony decided as he crawled out of the window and was met with flashing police lights. He would just have to practice control of his magic, and hope that, one day, he would be ready when the Oracles’ prophecies about his destiny came to pass.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this pretty much to set up some background of the AU that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to fit in elsewhere. Keep in mind, Tony doesn't get a whole lot of practice in here, so while he does have some better control, he's still very much a noob at magic. Hopefully I was able to convey that pretty well with this, and if not, then in the next part that I work on.


End file.
